Packaging of sheet material



Jun 23, 1942. w ow s 2,287,056

PACKAGING 0F SHEET MATERIAL Filed March 25, 1940 Patented June 23, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PACKAGING OF SHEET MATERIAL Walter Lee Owens, Chesterficld, Ind., assignor to Robert W. Shoemaker, Anderson, Ind.

Application March 25, 1940, Serial No. 325,781

3 Claims.

The invention relates to packages of sheet material, and more particularly to the formation of packages of steel sheets cut to length and stacked in tiers of two or more units in height.

Sheets of steel and the like are usu'ally shipped from the mill in bundles bound .with steel bands or strapping the ends of which are connected together by sheet metal seals.

The customer usually specifies the weight of the bundles of sheets to be shipped to him and the bundles of sheets are banded together in separate units at the millfor shipping.

It is common practice,- therefore, to stack the sheets upon a truck or skid as they come from the shear or the like and as the stack of sheets reaches the required height necessary to make a bundle of the weight desired by the customer, the truck or skid with the stack of sheets thereon is removed and another truck placed in position at the shears.

The stack of sheets is then banded or bundled as a unit with steel strappin or hands fastened together with sheet metal seals and the bundle is ready for shipment.

Owing to the fact that heretofore there has not been any banding machine 'or tool in use which will satisfactorily band or bundle sheets after they have been tiered two or more high, it is common practice to band each bundle of sheets as a unit, thus, requiring a considerable number of trucks or skids to be used since a truck or skid is thus required for each single unit or bundle.

The-present invention is predicated upon the discovery that sheets in cut lengths may be made up in any size units and tiered two or more high and at any time thereafter may be satisfactorily banded or bundled into unit bundles by the use of a banding machine or tool forming the subject matter of a copending application for patent which I have executed as of even date herewith.

An object of the present invention is to provide for the bundling or banding of a plurality of single units or bundles of sheets tiered two or more high.

A further object is to provide for banding or packaging a plurality or more high so that the several be moved as a unit. 1

A still further object is to provide for the use of wood blocks upon which the packages are mounted, said blocks having longitudinal and transverse grooves in their under surfaces to receive longitudinal and transverse bands for banding the package together.

The above objects together with others which "will be apparent from the drawing and following description or which may be later referred to may be attained by packaging sheets of steel or the like in the manner hereinafter described and i1- lustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a truck showing a'plurality of stacks of sheets mounted in tiers thereon, preparatory to banding or bundling the stacks of sheets into single units or bundles.

Fig. 2, a similar view showing the several bundles or units banded by steel bands or strappine;

Fig. 3, a similar view showing the plurality of banded bundles or units banded or packaged together in a single package; and

Fig. 4, a transverse section through the package taken as on the line 4-4, Fig. 3.

Similar numerals refere to similar parts throughout the several views.

In carrying out the invention to form bundles or packages of sheets cut to length as they come from a shear or other apparatus, a truck 'or skid is placed in position adjacent to the shear or the like to receive the cut sheets therefrom.

For the purpose of illustration a truck is illustrated generally at I0 and the same may be positioned adjacent to the shears. I Under present practice when a sufficient number of sheets is stacked upon the truck to form a single bundle or unit the truck must then be removed from this position so that the stack of sheets may be banded or bundled while another truck is placed in position adjacent to the shears to receive the next stack of sheets.

Under the present invention when sufficient sheets are stacked to form a bundle a truck may of such bundles tiered two bundles may remain in position at the shears and one or more additional stacks may be tieredthereon and when the truck is loaded to capacity it may be moved to another location and each stack of sheets may be separately bundled without removing them from the truck, after which, if desired, the several bundles may be banded together in a single package.

For the purpose of the invention a plurality of elongated blocks ll, preferably oi wood, are

placed transversely across the platform of thetruck in position tosupport the center and end portions of a stack of sheets as indicated generally at [2, which represents a suflicient number of sheets to form a bundle of desired size and weight.

Each of the blocks II is provided in its under side with a longitudinal groove l3 and is also preferably provided with a centrally disposed erse groove ll for a purpose to be later described.

When the stack I! has been completed a plurality of blocks I la similar to the blocks H, but preferably having only the longitudinal grooves Ila, are located transversely across the top of the stack l2 being preferably staggered relative to the blocks II as indicated in the drawing.

A second stack of sheets i2a is then placed upon the blocks II a which space the same from the stack l2.

Additional stacks may be tiered above those already described, depending upon the weight of each stack of sheets and the capacity of the truck or skid.

-tingthestacksofsheetstobepiledintiersto In the drawing, a third stack is indicated at l2b supported upon the blocks lib which may be identical with the blocks I la.

When the desired number of stacks of sheets arranged in' tiers and separated by the wood blocks as indicated in Figure 1, has been placed upon the truck it may be moved away from the shears, and by means of the improved banding machine or tool above referred to each stack of sheets, and the wood blocks upon which it is supported, may be banded or bundled with steel strapping or hands to form separate units or bundles, without removing the same from'the truck, and, if desired, the several units or bundles may then be banded together in a single package while they remain upon the truck.

As shown in Fig. 2 each stack of sheets on the truck may be separately banded or bundled by means of the steel bands It wrapped transversely around each stack of sheets and the wood blocks upon which they are supported, the bands being located through the longitudinal grooves on the under side of the wood blocks, the bands being wrapped tightly around-the bundles by means of the improved banding machine or tool above referred to which is so constructed that it may be inserted between adjacent stacks of sheets for operation.

With the type of banding machines now in common use it is not possible to band or bundle a plurality of stacks of sheets piled in tiers owing to the fact that such banding machines cannot be inserted between tiered stacks and operated to tighten the bands around the bundles.

After each band is tightly stretched around the bundle the usual metal seals indicated at it are applied in conventional manner to clamp the ends of each band together, these seals being applied either on the top of the bundle, or where the bundle is of sufficient height or thickness, as indicated on the drawing, these seals may be applied to the bands on the sides of the bundle.

After each stack is separately banded or bundledas shown in Fig. 2, the several bundles may, if desired, be banded together in a single packany desired height before the truck or skid is removed from the shears or other loading point, the stacks of sheets being then banded in separate units or bundles and then if desired, banded in a single package without removing them from the truck or skid upon which they are stacked. r

I claim: 1

- 1. The method of metal sheets which consists in positioning upon a horizontal support, a plurality of longitudinally spaced, transversely disposed blocks having longitudinal grooves in their lower surfaces, then positioning a stack of sheets on top of said blocks, then positioning another plurality of longitudinally spaced, transversely dispoud blocks having longitudinal grooves in their lower surfaces, on top of said stack of sheets and vertically staggered relative to the first named blocks, then positioning another stack of sheem on top of the second named blocks, forming superimposed tiers of stacks of sheets, and then separately wrapping flat steel bands transversely around each stack of sheets and through the grooves of its supporting blocks to form a plurality of superimposed tiers of separately banded bundles of sheets.

2. The method of packaging metal sheets which consists in positioning upon a horizontal support, a plurality of longitudinally spaced, transversely disposed blocks having longitudinal and transverse grooves. in their lower surfaces, then positioning a stack of sheets on top of said blocks, then positioning another plurality oflongitudinally spaced, transversely disposed blocks having longitudinal grooves in their lower surfaces, on top of said stack of sheets and vertically staggered relative to the first named blocks, then positioning another .stack of sheets on top of the second named blocks, forming superimposed 'tiers of stacks of sheets, and then separately I wrapping flat steel bands transversely around age by means of a longitudinal band I] located I each stack of sheets and through the grooves of its supporting blocks to form a plurality of superimposed tiers of separately banded bundles of sheets, and then wrapping flat steel bands transversely and longitudinally around all of said bundles and through the longitudinal and transverse grooves respectively of th lowermost blocks to form a single package.

3. A package comprising a plurality of superimposed bundles, each bundle comprising a stack of metal sheets positioned upon longitudinally spaced, transversely disposed supporting blocks, said blocks having longitudinal grooves in their lower surfaces, the blocks of the lowermost bundle also having transversegrooves in their lower surfaces, independent, transversely disposed flat steel bands located around each stock of sheets and received in the longitudinalgrooves of its supporting blocks, seals clamping the ends of the bands together for binding each stack of sheets and its supporting blocks together forming a plurality of separate, independently movable, superimposed bundles, and transversely and longitudi- 

